412 Webster Street NW
What started as a brief conversation in a Lyft ride going home from work, ended as an updated Wardman style row-house with a 5-star rated BnB in the basement accessory dwelling unit (ADU). This project is one of our favorite client success stories. Originally built in 1924, this alley row-house suffered through decades of neglect in regards to water + termite damage inside the house. The renovation was performed in two phases: the first was to get the house move-in ready; and the last - completed in 2020 - renovated the remaining portions of the house and added an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in the basement.
“Dan was an amazing resource for my house renovation, helping me at all stages of the project. He assisted me in figuring out the financing and then worked closely with me in an iterative way, going through various options to create the plans for what ultimately became my dream home. Dan’s value was in combining a keen artistic eye with great structural and engineering knowledge as well a through knowledge of the permitting process and economics of house renovations. He also introduced me to a terrific contractor who proved invaluable and well as vendors and suppliers who were great.
Renovating a house can a daunting and sometimes scary process, but Dan’s good counsel, sound advice, first-hand experience, and architectural skills made the process exciting, fulfilling, and even fun...”
Location
Petworth Neighborhood | Washington, DC
Project Type
Residential - SFH + Basement ADU
Project Scope
Addition + Renovation
Year Complete
2021
Scale
2,025 gsf (25 sf addition)
Budget
$ 220 per sf (Construction)
AHJ Reviews
DCRA - ADU, Zoning, Structural, MEP
Project Team
DANKE development (architect)
Stonegate Construction Group (build)
S Street Structural
Friedman Engineering (mep)
Modernization of Semi-Detached Wardman in Petworth
In the first phase, we made the investment to renovate the Guest Bathroom + improve the performance of the exterior envelope by replacing the roof of the house + front porch. During the initial phase, DANKE prepared three concept studies - organized by good, better, best - to diagram various approaches to renovate the house. Once the Client lived in the space, he had a better idea of the direction to proceed and selected the ‘better’ option with an ADU in the basement.
The design approach brought the house into the modern century with a fully custom kitchen - relocated in the rear addition’s sunroom, reconfigured the Primary Bedroom into a suite by adding a bathroom, modernized the infrastructure of the house, replaced the wood flooring on the 1st level, and created an income property in the basement ADU.
DC zoning + codes required sprinklers to be installed throughout the ADU + metered separately. Once we confirmed the depth of the original foundation was deep enough, the basement slab was lowered 8" to provide a code compliant + comfortable ceiling height. In addition, the basement’s footprint was enlarged by digging out space under the rear addition. The area captured allowed for the mechanical room to be relocated and provided a walk-in closet with stacked washer dryer units. The ADU hosts a 5-star rated income property, and the reviews really reflect what we were aiming to achieve.
As some wise person once said, every renovation project is a guessing game until you open the walls. During construction, Stonegate discovered the original rear addition was built with the 2x4s rotated 90 degrees - meaning the existing framing was not structural. So the entire rear addition was removed and rebuilt, which provided a new energy efficient envelope on the south facing portion of the house.
During the main renovation, we also replaced the plumbing with a new system, including a whole house water filter + low-flow fixtures, converted all lighting to LED, replaced the mechanical system with modern high-efficiency units to improve the energy efficiency of the property. Due to the scale of the project, DANKE assisted the client in acquiring a construction loan to finance the work.
